| Subject: Ontario Ban please read and reply |
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KJ
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Date Posted: 17:07:15 08/31/04 Tue
There is an urgent BSL situation in Ontario Canada. The provincial government is proposing taking a breed ban to the next level, taking it out of the hands of the municipalities and making it province wide... please read the following and respond. Please keep in mind that this newspaper has already painted pit bulls and other breed like the rottweiller as "vicious" and "dangerous". They have also stereotyped all owners of these dogs as "macho-types" "criminals" and "drug dealers" etc. I feel as strongly against these images as I am sure you all do, but please use restraint and make you replys polite and informitive with facts and real statistics etc. We as dog owners of all breeds need to unite and stop this nonsense or what breeds will be next???
Aug. 31, 2004. 01:00 AM
Editorial: Time for cities to ban pit bulls
In a downtown Toronto hospital, doctors fought over the weekend to save the arm of a man who was viciously attacked by two pit bulls he was walking for their out-of-town owner. The attack likely would have been fatal had passersby and the police, who shot the dogs, not arrived in time.
Tragically, the attack is not an isolated case. In recent years, there have been hundreds of maimings and killings around the world by pit bulls, or pit bull crosses. Last month, a small dog in Windsor was ripped apart in front of its owners. In June, a Chatham woman had her ear ripped off. At least two children in the Toronto region were seriously harmed last year.
How many of these attacks are necessary before Toronto and other communities take the logical step and ban these dogs?
Simply, no one has the right to own an animal that poses a lethal threat to society. A person's right to own a pet of his or her choice does not outweigh a community's right to protect itself against dangerous animals, especially in a city where so many of us share the same parks and streets.
And it is just not dog-haters who feel this way. Some of the most vocal proponents of a ban on pit bulls are dog owners themselves. That includes the Star editorial board, where most of the members own dogs.
Pit bulls are dangerous, even in the hands of responsible owners. Its jaws have 10 times the strength of other breeds and once in a fight, it will fight to the death. A 2000 study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found pit bulls were involved in 65 fatal attacks between 1979 and 1998. Almost half of all dog attacks are by pit bulls, yet they make up less than one per cent of the canine population.
Banning pit bulls will be an emotional issue. Opponents argue the owners should be punished, not the dogs. They favour fines for owners who cannot control their dogs. And they contend administering the law will be tricky. For example, should it just be pit bulls, or crosses of the dog?
There are dozens of versions of laws already enacted across North America and around the globe. Some 200 municipalities in the U.S. ban pit bulls. Germany, France, New Zealand and Denmark have enacted breed-specific legislation. Britain adopted the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act that banned pit bulls, and three other fighting dogs, the Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. Britain also brought in stiff fines and jail terms for the owner of a dog of any breed that endangers the public.
In 1997, the city of Kitchener enacted a bylaw that banned new pit bulls. It also "grandfathered" existing pit bulls and pit bull crosses, but the animals had to be neutered, muzzled and leashed when outdoors. Such bylaws are sensible because they don't immediately remove pit bulls from their owners, many of whom are responsible.
If cities lack the courage to ban pit bulls, then police and judges should crack down hard on owners who fail to muzzle and leash their dogs.
The call for a ban on pit bulls will be seen by critics as an hysterical over-reaction to this weekend's attack. It is not. Consider Winnipeg.
Fifteen years ago, Winnipeg became the first Canadian city to ban pit bulls. Since then, serious dog attacks have dropped to one or two a year, from the prior average of 25. That's compelling enough evidence for us.
The Toronto Star can be found at www.thestar.com
Ontario Ponders ban on Pit Bulls
Some like lethal “weapons”: Bryant
Weekend attack triggers debate
Richard Brennan
QUEENS PARK BUREAU
The Ontario government is considering a province wide ban on pit bull dogs, which are nothing less than four legged “dangerous weapons” Attorney General Michael Bryant says.
“If we are banning or otherwise restricting other dangerous weapons, why would we not include these animals as well and that’s …something that we are looking at,” Bryant told the Star in an interview yesterday.
“Some animals amount to nothing less than dangerous weapons,” he said.
Bryant was reacting to the vicious attack by pit bulls in Toronto on the weekend that left a 25-year old man with extensive leg, back, and arms injuries. Witnesses said if police had not fired up to 16 shots into the two dogs, the animals would likely have killed the man.
“We are very concerned about pit bulls, the proliferation of pit bulls and the danger that they pose to Ontarians… (And) we have not ruled a ban out. I have asked officials to look into that and I will also be looking for input from Ontarians as well,” Bryant said. He said the province has an obligation to protect people from dangerous animals.
“Nobody has the right to bring a lion into a day care center. We have to ensure that any dangerous animals out there are kept away from the public.”
“Municipalities already have that option and at this stage we’re looking into whether the province should also get involved,"” he said.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act, municipalities have the right to ban dog breeds. Kitchener has already done that. Its bylaw says that anyone who has acquired a pit bull since April 7, 1997 and did not remove it from the city faces a fine of up to $5,000.
As an interim measure before a decision is made on a province wide ban, Bryant encouraged other municipalities to consider similar bylaws.
Last December, a 23 year old woman was savagely attacked by three pit bulls in Brantford and again police had to shoot the dogs dead.
“I have long been concerned about this issue. I have had constituents come into my office with concerns and complaints about pit bulls and their effect not only on a community, but with respect to other animals and the harm they may cause to other animals,” Bryant said.
Pit bulls are not a specific breed, but include Staffordshire Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers. Some have been bred to become ultra aggressive.
The Canada Safety Council estimates 460,000 Canadians are bitten by dogs each year.
So far, Saskatchewan is the only province to pass dangerous dog legislation with penalties that include fines of up to $10,000 or six months in jail or both.
Bryant has asked Ontarians to e-mail him at michael.bryant@jus.gov.on.ca with their thoughts and to include “pit bull” in the memo field.
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